'If it's not good, it won't work,' says Katrina Kaif

The actor and founder of Kay Beauty discusses her entrepreneurial journey, the learnings along the way, staying ahead of the competition and her long-standing love for beauty products

- Pooja Singh

Standing out in the crowded beauty market is like finding a foundation shade that's a perfect match for your skin.

There's always a newer brand, promising better coverage at an even better price. That's one of the reasons actor Katrina Kaif says she has kept a razor-sharp focus on innovation while building her beauty brand Kay Beauty. "Product is king," she says, repeating a line written in almost all entrepreneurship and marketing books, over a Zoom call. "You can attach whatever big name to it, advertise it, market it as much as you want; if it's not good, it won't work." When Kaif launched Kay Beauty towards the end of 2019, in partnership with beauty retailer Nykaa, it was India's first such celebrity-owned brand. Her lip, eye and brow products predicted a trend that was two or three years in the future: make-up that caters to all Indian skin tones, with side benefits of skincare. It was also a smart business opportunity. The beauty and wellness market in India was valued at over 900 billion in 2018 and expected to grow, according to the Indian Beauty & Hygiene Association.

Since then, several other celebrities have launched their own beauty and make-up brands-Deepika Padukone's 82°E; Sonakshi Sinha's press-on nails with Soezi; Priyanka Chopra's haircare line Anomaly; Masaba Gupta's LoveChild.

It's a line that international celebrities have found success in for decades. Selena Gomez (Rare Beauty), Hailey Bieber (Rhode), Ariana Grande (R.E.M. Beauty), among others, have long been packaging their ideas of beauty for their ready customer base their millions of fans. Earlier